Monitoring local government meeting is a long-established practice of the League of Women Voters. It is one approach to help inform citizens about current issues and their governments.
​
Members volunteer to attend or watch a meeting and share what they observed in a written report.
​

As of March 27, 2020
 
The Village Board is holding a Committee-of-the-Whole meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 7:00 pm, to discuss and determine the path forward regarding storm sewer system improvements.  See here for agenda, including how to watch and give public comment remotely since Village Hall is closed.
 
As of March 24, 2020
 
Since our last update on March 5, our world has changed dramatically, but LWVW Observers have continued observing and reporting on local government meetings.  Since our last update, we observed and reported on:
 
Village Board: March 10 and 24
Park Board: March 9
WPS D. 39 Board of Ed: Special BoE March 9; CoW March 9; BoE March 16
NTHS D. 203 Board of Ed: March 16
Library Board: none--March 17 meeting cancelled
 
Highlights:
We can divide the month almost in half: before the COVID-19 crisis caused shutdowns of schools and much of public life and after the COVID-19 shutdowns.
 
Since the COVID-19 shutdowns, the big news has been:
COVID-19 Crisis Response--The Village Board adopted a resolution at its March 24 meeting declaring an Emergency Affecting the Public Health and Wellbeing due to the Outbreak of COVID-19 Virus.  This resolution continued President Bielinski’s Emergency Proclamation of March 17, which proclamation was in effect for 7 days or until the Village Board could meet. The resolution also included a $375K Sales Tax Rebate Program to distribute immediate cash for the short-term financial needs of local businesses with the intent of preventing local businesses from closing.  See here for the meeting packet, including the emergency resolution and another resolution related to the emergency and President Bielinski’s earlier Emergency Proclamation, and here for additional meeting packet material containing a memorandum on the sales tax rebate program.  The sales tax rebate program was initially proposed to be for an amount up to $500K, but was amended at the meeting to be for an amount up to $375K.  That March 24 VB meeting was held remotely, though publicly, on Channel 6 and YouTube and with opportunity for public comment, all in accordance with the Open Meetings Act as revised by Governor Pritzker’s Emergency Proclamation of March 16 (see Section 6 on p. 3 of that proclamation here to see changes to the Open Meetings Act).  See here for a videorecording of that meeting.  See here for the email the LWVW sent to the VB prior to that meeting.  The District 39 and 203 Board of Education meetings were the first of the meetings we observe that were held in the post-COVID-19 shutdown world and were held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act as it stood before Governor Pritzker’s proclamation, with a majority of board members physically present, though sitting 6 ft. apart from each other, and other board members present through teleconferencing. Both BoEs adopted e-Learning programs at those meetings, as seen here and here for D. 39 and D. 203, respectively, so students could continue learning remotely while schools were physically closed. See here and here for videorecordings of the D. 39 and D. 203 BoE meetings, respectively.
 
Before the COVID-19 shutdowns, the big news was:
Village Stormwater Project.  Various local government bodies approved major contracts and agreements with respect to the Village's largest infrastructure project in history: the $65.9M Neighborhood Storage Project to relieve overland stormwater flooding issues west of Ridge Road.  The Village Board approved at its March 10 meeting 1) $13.95M in construction and engineering oversight bids for Phase 1 construction at and near the Wilmette Park District’s Community Playfields, 2) an easement agreement with a homeowner, and 3) intergovernmental agreements with the Park District and District 39, all of which were needed for the construction to go forward.  The Park Board and the D. 39 BoE also approved their relevant intergovernmental agreements with the Village at their meetings on March 9.  At the time of those March 9 and 10 meetings, Phase 1 construction was expected to begin in early April 2020.  Also at that time, the Village hoped that Phase 2 construction at Hibbard Park and Phase 3 construction at Thornwood Park would take place in 2021 and 2022, respectively. For more detailed LWVW coverage of the March 9 and 10 meetings and earlier developments in this project, click here.
 
1210 Central Planned Unit Development:  Also at the 5-hour Village Board meeting of March 10, the Village Board approved in a 5-2 vote a planned unit development (PUD) proposal for 1210 Central:  an Optima building seeking height, massing and other variations.  Voting for the PUD proposal were President Bielinski and Trustees Barrow, Dudd, Plunkett and Sullivan and voting against the PUD proposal were Trustees Kennedy and Kurzman.  See here for the Village’s recap of this meeting, with links to the meeting documents and specific discussions from the meeting.  See here for the LWVW’s earlier letter to the Village Board on the affordable housing aspect of this PUD application.
 
What else happened since our last update on March 3:
 
Wilmette Park Board

• Financial Planning & Policy Committee Chair Anderson announced that Sheila Foy has been hired as the Park District’s new Supt. of Finance. He noted that she is a Wilmette resident and previously worked in the private sector.

 
Wilmette Public Schools D39 Board of Ed

• The BoE approved awarding a bid package totalling $2.14M for summer 2020 construction mostly at Highcrest, which will include converting the old Library Media Center, which was replaced by the Learning Commons constructed last summer, into classrooms and adding air conditioning to the auditorium. See here for meeting packet information.
• The BoE approved a resolution authorizing the issuance of up to $11.6M in general obligation limited tax school bonds, including $5M for working cash and up to $6.6M to refunding outstanding Series 2010 bonds.  See here for meeting packet information.
• Staff finished its 3-meeting mid-year report on the 2019-20 Strategic Plan, with this month’s report focusing on the New Initiatives part of the 2019-20 Strategic Plan, which all relate to technology. See summary report here.

 
NTHS D203 BoE

• The BoE voted to approve a second Bid Package and award contracts in the amount of $4.2M for summer 2020 construction. Click here to see a memo on the bid package from the meeting packet.

As of March 5, 2020
 
Since the last update, LWVW Observers have observed and reported on the following local government meetings:
 
Village Board: February 11 and 25
Park Board: February 10; Lakefront Committee March 2
WPS D. 39: CoW February 10; BoE February 24
NTHS D. 203 Board of Ed: February 18
Library Board: February 18
 
Highlights:
 
Two key topics of consideration in the Village this month:
 
Stormwater, Stormwater, Stormwater: February was a big month (and expect March to be even bigger) for what is expected to be the Village’s largest infrastructure project in history: the $65.3M Neighborhood Storage Project to relieve overland stormwater flooding issues west of Ridge Road.

• The Village Board reviewed at its February 25 meeting $13.3M in construction and engineering oversight bids for Phase 1 construction at and near the WIlmette Park District’s Community Playfields and the Village Board, the Park Board and the WPS D. 39 Board of Education all worked on reviewing/revising Intergovernmental agreements and Phase 1 construction plans.  The Village hopes that the Village Board, the Park Board and the D. 39 BoE will approve their relevant agreements at meetings on March 9 and 10 so that Phase 1 construction can begin in early April 2020.  The Village hopes Phase 2 at Hibbard Park and Phase 3 at Thornwood Park will take place in 2021 and 2022, respectively. 
• The VB discussed at its February 11 meeting potential credits for non-residential and multi-family property owners to use against the new Stormwater Utility Fee, and asked staff for more information on the potential credits before they vote on them in March.   
• For more detailed LWVW coverage of these and earlier developments in this project, including links to meeting materials, click here.

 
1210 Central Planned Unit Development: During a marathon 5+ hour Village Board meeting on February 25, the Village Board started its consideration of a planned unit development (PUD) proposal for 1210 Central:  a 6-story Optima building seeking height, massing and other variations.  Earlier in February, the Plan Commission had voted 5-2 against approving the Optima PUD (see LWVW’s update as of February 7 below) , so that when the Village Board votes on whether to approve it, 5 Village Trustees (out of 7) must vote in favor of it for it to be approved.  The VB is expected to vote on it at its March 10 regular meeting.  PUD approval requires a public benefit for the development, and the public benefits cited by the applicant include making a $1.6 million donation for affordable housing efforts in the Village, a bird-friendly design, a commitment to at least a Two Green Globes® (out of a maximum of Four) under the Green Globes® sustainability certification program (analogous to LEED Silver), 30 public parking spaces, and 2 electric car charging stations. Optima included an economic impact report from Teska Associates in its presentation materials, which projects annual revenue generated from the development to the Village of $204.7K to $231.8K/year ($1.4M-$1.6M in net present value over a 10-year period) from various sources (property taxes, sales taxes generated both within the project and from the spending of its residents, motor fuel taxes, vehicle registrations and income distributions from the state), compared to the $19K/year in property taxes only that the current use of the property generates to the Village.  The report also projects additional property tax revenue from the development for all local government authorities.  See here for the Village’s recap of this meeting, with links to the meeting documents and specific discussions from the meeting.  This project has generated much public commentary both for and against, and we expect more comments at the March 10 VB meeting before the VB votes on the project. See here for the LWVW’s letter to the Village Board on the affordable housing aspect of this PUD application.
 
What else happened this month:
 
Wilmette Village Board

• The VB bade farewell to retiring Village Manager Timothy Frenzer and thanked him for his many years of service to the Village, and welcomed Michael Braiman as the new Villager Manager.  Braiman previously had been Assistant Village Manager.
• President Bielinski issued a proclamation and read it at the February 11 meeting proclaiming February 14, 2020, as the date for the Village to celebrate the League of Women Voters in honor of the League’s 100th anniversary.
• The VB adopted a resolution at the February 25 meeting supporting the Village’s participation in the 2020 Census.
• The VB approved a recommendation at the February 25 meeting for the appointment of Bradley Falkof to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a 5-year term starting March 10. 2020.

 
Wilmette Park Board

• The Park Board approved at its February 10 meeting a $50K contract with SmithGroup for a shoreline protection study.  See here  for information from the meeting packet.
• The Lakefront Committee at its March 2 meeting heard updates on the shoreline protection study, and also about potential improvements at the Lakeview Center and about progress on developing a Lakefront master plan.
• Director Wilson reported to the Park Board that a new Superintendent of Parks and Planning, Kristi Solberg, had been hired to start February 20.  Wilson noted that Solberg most recently had been with the Park Ridge Park District, where she was Asst. Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds and was recently awarded Professional of the Year award by the Midwest Institute of Park Executives.

 
Wilmette Public Schools D39 Board of Education

• The BoE approved awarding a bid package totalling $1.7M for summer 2020 construction at Central, which will include making way for Kindergarten Enrichment and adding air conditioning to the cafeteria. See here for meeting packet information.
• Staff continued its 3-meeting mid-year report on the 2019-20 Strategic Plan, with this month’s report focusing on the Continuing Initiatives part of the 2019-20 Strategic Plan; last month’s report focused on Annual Business, and next month’s report will focus on the New Strategic Initiative.  The Continuing Initiatives concern: 1) Delivering a Nutritious School Lunch Program; 2) Student Growth through Differentiation & Personalization; 3) Designing a Kindergarten Enrichment Program; 4) Building School Culture and Community; and 5) Creating Flexible Learning Environments. See summary report here.
• Finance Chair Cesaretti announced that D. 39, as part of its expenditure review undertaken since FY2017-2018, has a new financial dashboard on its website created using dynamic data from its Forecast5 software. See here for that financial dashboard.
• The BoE approved a $22.5K contract with Consortium for Educational Change to help D.39 identify its strengths and weaknesses and to facilitate a strategic planning process to be used for the next several years.  See packet information here.
• The BoE approved a $71K contract with Atlantic Research Partners to conduct a comprehensive program review and evaluation of D. 39’s special education and response to intervention systems. See packet information here.
• Staff presented on a partnership with the Wilmette Public Library to allow parents to get a library card for their child when they register their child for school. See here.

 
NTHS D203 BoE

• The Superintendent reported to the Board on the progress being made on the Social and Emotional Learning component and the financial transparency component of the NT2030 initiative.
• The Board voted to approve the Bid Package and award contracts in the amount of $2,858,294.00 for renovation of the Winnetka facility. Click here to see a memo on the bid package from the meeting packet.
• The Board approved of a maximum allocation of $203,665.00 from the NT Scholarship Trust Fund for distribution to the class of 2020.

 
Library Board

• The library’s Digital Services Manager gave a presentation on an overview of the Digital Services department, which has become a core service of the library.  He noted that digital resources and usage have expanded and grown significantly.  Staff are available to help patrons with digital resources.
• In anticipation of an expected state requirement for the board to annually review “Serving Our Public 4.0--Standards for Illinois Public Libraries” to get a per capita grant, the Director reviewed chapters 1 and 2 (as seen here) with the board.  Additional chapters to be reviewed in subsequent meetings.
• The Director gave a report summarizing Library activities, meetings/workshops attended, community engagement reports, monthly statistics and other information as seen here.

As of February 7, 2020
 
Since the last update, LWVW Observers have observed and reported on the following local government meetings:
                               
Village Board: January 14 and 28; Municipal Services Committee January 28; Plan Commission January 7 and February 4
Park Board: January 13; CoW January 29; Lakefront Committee February 3
WPS D. 39: CoW January 13; BoE January 27
NTHS D. 203 Board of Ed: January 21
Library Board: January 21
 
Highlights:
Wilmette Village Board and Village Commissions/Committees

• The Plan Commission voted to make a negative recommendation to the Village Board on approving the planned unit development (PUD) proposal for 1210 Central, a 6-story Optima building seeking height and other variations.  A negative recommendation from the Plan Commission means that the VB would need a supermajority to approve the PUD.  The VB is slated to consider the PUD at its February 25 meeting.  PUD approval requires a public benefit for the development, and the public benefits cited by the applicant included making a $1.6 million donation for affordable housing efforts in the Village, a bird-friendly design, a commitment to at least a Two Green Globes® (out of a maximum of Four) under the Green Globes® sustainability certification program (analogous to LEED Silver), and advancing the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan and Village Master Plan by, among other things, providing high-density, transit-oriented, multi-family residential opportunities and streetscape improvements and promoting redevelopment of vacant, under-utilized and inefficient properties .  See here for more information on this PUD application, which has generated much public commentary both for and against.
• The Municipal Services Committee gave direction to Village staff to bring forward to the whole VB for discussion on February 11 two potential credits for eligible non-residential and multifamily properties to use against the Village’s new stormwater utility fee:  up to a 50% credit for properties that comply with MWRD watershed management ordinances and up to a 50% credit for properties that meet both 501(c)(3) ownership and institutional use requirements, with a cap on credits for any property of 50% of the stormwater fee for that property.  For more detailed and historic LWVW coverage on these potential credits, the stormwater fee and other developments in the Village’s stormwater improvement project, see LWVW’s page on the project here.

 
Wilmette Park Board

• Adopted its FY2020 budget and appropriations ordinance.  The full department-by-department annual budget is available at the administrative offices but was not online yet at the time of this update.
• Has been discussing hiring consultants for a shoreline protection study and Gillson master planning in Lakefront Committee, Committee-of-the-Whole and Park Board meetings. A revised version will be voted on at Feb. 10 Park Board meeting.
• Heard that staff has been discussing potential changes to 2020-21 after-school enrichment programs in Wilmette public schools with District 39.

Wilmette Public Schools D39 Board of Ed

• Heard a recommendation from Superintendent Cremascoli to increase administrative support by making the K-4 assistant principal positions at each school full-time, and adding a full-time principal to the 5-8 campus.
• Heard from staff that 2020-21 Kindergarten enrollment has started at all four K-4 schools, as well as the new optional Kindergarten Enrichment (KEEP) at Central and McKenzie. At the time of the BoE meeting, 82% of those registering for Kindergarten at Central and McKenzie also registered for KEEP.
• Heard Facilities Development Committee updates regarding this summer’s construction at Central (bid/approval process in February) and Highcrest (bid/approval process in March).
• Approved the FY2020-21 Budget calendar, as seen here.  First up will be review and approval of some capital projects at the February 24 BoE meeting.
• Heard from staff a mid-year report on the Annual Business initiatives part of the 2019-20 Strategic Plan as seen here.  The Annual Business initiatives concern: 1) school safety, 2) standards-based learning and reporting, 3) science curriculum, and 4) sustainability planning, practices and education.  See here for the mid-year report on these initiatives.
• Received the January 2020 special education count, as seen here.
• Discussed in its CoW potential changes proposed by Park District in Park District after-school enrichment programs that take place in Wilmette public schools.

 
NTHS D203 BoE

• Received the mid-year report on progress made in the 2019-20 Annual Plan, which is the first year of implementing New Trier 2030.  See the report here.
• Kicked off the FY 2020-21 budget process by hearing from the administration about updated budget assumptions and parameters to be used in the process and approving the budget calendar and authorizing the administration to begin the budget process.  For more detail from the meeting packet, click here.
• Received an update on current facilities projects, including those from summer 2019 and those planned for summers 2020 and 2021. To see memo, click here.
• Heard a favorable report from staff on a $3.3M private bond sale that took place in January to fund Summer 2020 facilities projects.  All-in cost of the bid was 2.02%, $98K better than originally projected in the fall, after receiving 5 bids.  Market condition improvements since the fall and the reputation, name and financial health of the district were cited as factors in what the administration referred to as a favorable outcome.
• Approved Intergovernmental Agreements with Sunset Ridge D.29, Winnetka D.36, Avoca D. 37 and Wilmette D. 39 regarding student assessment data sharing.  To see the IGA with D. 39, click here.
• Approved a contract with IASB for policy manual customization to assist in making policy changes resulting from law changes.  For a memorandum from staff recommending this contract, click here.

Library Board

• Heard that the Library Journal awarded the WPL a five-star rating based on data collected (e.g., visitors, circulation, program attendance), placing it in the top 4% of rated public libraries nationally and one of only seven Illinois libraries to earn five stars. See WPL announcement here.
• Heard about several staffing changes, including that John Risko, previously Assistant Finance Director at the Village, has been hired as the new full-time Finance Manager, replacing Part-time Business Manager Barb Griffiths, who is retiring.
• Heard that American Dirt by Jeanine Cumins was the choice for this spring’s One Book, Everyone Reads program, although the WPL has since announced that the One Book program is no longer going forward this spring, as announced here.  The WPL, however, will facilitate book discussions about the novel, as per the announcement.

As of January 3, 2020
 
Since the last update, LWVW Observers have observed and reported on the following local government meetings:
 
Village Board: December 10; Municipal Services Committee December 10
Park Board: December 9
WPS D. 39: CoW December 9; BoE December 16
NTHS D. 203 Board of Ed: December 16
Library Board: No meetings
 
Highlights:
Wilmette Village Board

• Adopted its 2019 Tax Levy Ordinance.  Click here  to see the information from the December 10 meeting packet on the tax levy ordinance.  See below for LWVW coverage from when the tax levy ordinance was proposed in our “As of December 6, 2019” update.
• Stormwater Project developments:
  • Adopted an ordinance imposing a new Stormwater Utility Fee to fund the stormwater project. This new fee was to go into effect January 1, 2020.
  • Approved a resolution to delay collection of Stormwater Utility Fee for non-residential properties until April 1, 2020.  This resolution only delays the collection for these properties, not imposition of the fee (so when these properties are billed starting in April, it will cover the period starting January 1).
  • Approved a $5.35M contract with StormTrap, Inc, for the pre-purchase of pre-cast concrete units for Phase 1 of the stormwater improvement project at Community Playfield.
  • The Municipal Services Committee reviewed potential changes to the draft stormwater credits and incentives program as that program concerns non-residential properties.

For more detailed LWVW coverage of these and earlier developments with the stormwater improvement project, including with respect to the new stormwater utility and the potential credits and incentives program and with links to documents, see LWVW’s page on the stormwater improvement project here.
 
Wilmette Park Board

• Adopted its 2019 tax levy ordinance. Click here to see the 2019 tax levy ordinance from the December 9 meeting packet. See below for LWVW coverage from when the tax levy ordinance was proposed in our “As of December 6, 2019” update
• Received a financial statement from the Finance Committee, as seen here , summarizing FY2018 actual; FY2019 budget and projected actual; and FY2020 proposed budget.  The Park Board is expected to vote on its proposed budget at its January 13 meeting. The LWVW has not seen a link to the full FY2020 proposed budget.
• Approved its 2020 regular board meeting calendar as shown here.
• Received an update from its Lakefront Committee on the status of responses to two requests for proposals:  one on shoreline protection and the other on a Gillson master plan.
• Heard from the Park District Director about vacancies in the Supt. for Parks & Planning and the Supt. for Finance positions, both of which are posted.

 
Wilmette Public Schools D39 Board of Ed

• Approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Village concerning the Village stormwater construction project at Community Playfield.  See more LWVW coverage on this MoU, including a link to the MoU, and the Village stormwater project here.
• Approved an intergovernmental agreement with New Trier HS D203, as seen here, to share certain student data with D203 as part of a study to be conducted by D203.
• Approved 2020-21 School Fees as seen here.   
• Received a Five-Year Financial Projection Report as seen here. According to the report, the Operating Funds Balance as a percentage of Operating Expenditures was 69.08% at the end of FY2019 and is expected to go down to 49.98% by end of FY2021 and 40.49% by end of FY2025.  The report notes that D39 has a goal of maintaining this percentage at the end of each fiscal year at a minimum level of 40%.
• Received a Long-Term Enrollment Report, as seen here, which shows total enrollment history for years 2008-2019 and projections to 2024 and additional detail and data. Total district enrollment has gone from 3611 in 2008 to 3465 in 2019 and is projected to steadily decline to 3246 by 2024, with the biggest drops expected at Central and Harper.
• Received a draft School Calendar, as seen here, to be voted on in January.

 
NTHS D203 BoE

• The Board heard a presentation from Superintendent Paul Sally on New Trier’s mental health supports, including the advisory program and the new mental health hotline. He invited anyone interested in more information about mental health and community resources to attend a Parent Night presentation on January 15th.  See here for meeting packet info on Mental Health at NTHS.
• Supt. Sally and Assistant Superintendent Peter Tragos presented the Board with the 2019 Illinois School Report Card and academic profile, standardized testing and extracurricular reports for the Class of 2019. For meeting materials, click here to see a memo on the 2019 School Report Card and here, here and here for reports on the Class of 2019’s academic profile, standardized testing and extracurricular participation, respectively.
• The Board approved a resolution authorizing the 2020 issuance of up to $3.335 million in working cash fund bonds to partially fund summer 2020 construction projects. See here for a memo on the projects and funding.
• The Board approved a contract for architectural services for an analysis of academic, athletic and kinetic wellness needs on the east side of the Winnetka campus.  See here for a memo on the contract and here for the contract.

Archives

• 2019
• 2018 and earlier

​governments We're Monitoring

Wilmette Village Board of Trustees:
The Village Board is the legislative and policy-making body of the Village and includes the Village President and six Trustees. The Village Board usually meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Village Hall. Regular Village Board meetings are broadcast live on cable Channel 6 and replayed the following day at 1 pm.
​https://www.wilmette.com/village-board/

Board of Park Commissioners
The Board of Park Commissioners oversees the administration of the Wilmette Park District.
Meetings are usually held on the 2nd Monday of each month in the Village Hall Council Chambers at 7:30 pm.
Wilmette Park District Administrative Offices: 847-256-6100
Website: www.wilmettepark.org

Wilmette Public Library Board of Trustees
The Library Board generally meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm in the Staff Lounge at the Wilmette Public Library

District 39: Wilmette Elementary
Board of Education meetings are usually held on the 4th Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Mikaelian Education Center. Changes to this schedule are posted on the website.
Website: www.wilmette39.org

District 203: New Trier High School
Meetings are usually held on the 3rd Monday of the month. The board meets at 7:00 pm in the Multipurpose Room (C234) at the Northfield Campus. Meeting dates are subject to change.
Website: www.newtrier.k12.il.us
​